"26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matt 10:26-28)

Sunday, October 23, 2011

He Shakes the Earth and Raises His Banner

HE WHO HAS EARS LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCH

He Shakes the Earth

25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Hebrews 12

Each and every day that we have neglected Him and His Word, we have been building our house on the sand. We have been rooting ourself in soil that cannot nourish. Or we have been fixed to a dead vine that can produce no fruit in us as we abide here. We are as a tender shoot seeking its implantation in a barren land. We have labored and toiled seeking to establish ourselves here and have created many strongholds. These strongholds have calloused our hearts, blinded our eyes, and deafened our ears. Our souls have been ignorant of Him. We had a form of Godliness but we denied its power as we established ourselves on this earth and neglected the seeking of the Hand of God.

Our souls were buried in the ground of this world as we refused to humble ourselves before Him and receive His mighty hand that lifts up those who are bowed low. We had dug our own graves in the work of our hands and the words of our mouths. We had become altogether hopeless and useless to the Master. We were as a marred pot in the Hands of the Potter. We refused to return to Him. We refused to repent.

What more could the Master do for us?

He must reform us into a new being, a clean pot, a righteous servant of His. Here is how He will do it and has done it: "He will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of His burning anger" and "the floodgates of heaven open and the foundations of the earth are shaken".

HE IS SHAKING THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.

When God shakes the earth, everything that we hold onto that comes from the dust of the ground will be shaken off. He does this so that what remains will endure and prevail. He will break off the dead vine that we had adulterated ourselves with. He will destroy the barren lands and the empty pastures. Before our very eyes, the boasts of our mouths and the lusts of our eyes will dissappear like a vapor. He will send floods and pestilences to sweep away our kingdoms and uncover our dead souls from the heart of the earth. Many will perish under the wrath of God.

But for us who are being saved, He performs this shaking of the earth to bind our hearts to His. He will make us acknowledge Him and see the neverending Kingdom with clear eyes. No longer will the idols of our heart cloud our hearts and contaminate our minds. He will purify and refine us, as many times as it takes, to completely perfect for Himself a people who are His very own.

For all those who listen to Him, you who seek righteousness and peace, take heart. For the sin that breaks your heart will be destroyed with the shaking of the earth. But He will save your soul. Yes, He is saving souls.When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men.

We are not to fear this shake. It is here. Look around you: His shaking of the earth has come. Stand firm until the end. He will save you. He will not let you perish. He is making the foundations of the earth shake to remove from us our damning desires for earthly things and the hardness and blindness that remains in our hearts.

We must lift up our eyes and not look back at what He is shaking off from us. Look unto Him. Look only unto Jesus. The Sound of His Voice is like that of Rushing Waters. This shaking is revealing His glory. The Judge is standing at the door. In His righteousness He will remove these things from us. As surely as the sun rises, He comes to us.

As our earthly attachments are taken away from us, the sheep know only to do one thing: they will worship the King with awe and reverence, they will make Him their refuge and dwelling place. The Spirit He has caused to live in us envies intensely for our hearts to be wholly committed to Him and to seek Him and His Kingdom with all of our heart. We will rejoice in that day when we see Him clearly as He removes our strongholds. We will be as prisoner's set free, as one who passes from judgement to life. Even when our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and He knows all things: He knows that He has achieved full redepmption for His people and has bestowed His righteousness upon them.

As the world languishes in torment at the shaking away of prosperity, the Bride rejoices. Her hearts desire is be clothed in the fine white linen garments that Christ gives to her. The Morning Star will rise in her heart as the Day of her redemption draws near.

This shaking of the earth will fill the Bride with pure unfailing love that comes from the Father in Christ Jesus. Surely the Spirit will fill her with inexpressible and glorious joy as she puts her hope in the receiving of the goal of her faith: the salvation of her soul.

OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE.

He is calling you to stand firm and not to fear. He has overcome everything. His Covenant of love for you cannot be revoked. As He shakes the earth, you will see your strongholds and impurity removed and you will rejoice. You will thank and praise Him. You will bring glory and honor to His Name.

There is no Beauty but that of His Righteous Perfection and Loving Glory
There is no Majesty but the Sound of His Trumpet and His Established Throne
There is no Love but the Unfailing Love of God shown through the Son, Jesus Christ
There is no Good Spirit but the Shepherd and Overseer of Our Souls
There is no Joy but the Joy that comes as He refines us and breaks our hearts for His people and Kingdom
There is no Peace but His Peace that surpasses understanding, surpassing earthly jealousy and strife
There is no Sovereignty but the Sovereignty of the Annointed One who holds the keys of death and Hades
There is no Kingdom but the Unshakeable Kingdom of the Living One

He shakes the earth that all else may be destroyed and that these things remain.

"REMEMBER HIM BEFORE THE GOLDEN BOWL IS BROKEN, BEFORE THE SILVER CORD IS SEVERED.

He Raises His Banner

Surely He has been a Banner for His people. Moses built an altar and called it "The Lord is My Banner" and "For those who fear You,You have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow".

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to Him, and His place of rest will be glorious. Isaiah 11:10

Now there is raised throughout the earth and the heavens, the Banner of Jesus. This Banner over the Bride is Love. As Jesus is lifted up in the hearts of His people, the people of God are drawn to Him.Yes, to Him the Banner. All those, chosen, called, predestined, adopted, justified, glorified are streaming to the banner of the Name of Jesus, yes, even to the Mountain of God. Young and old, rich and poor, men and women from every nations are fleeing the world and pursuing the Banner of Christ. They are leaving everything behind. Surely we had been at various realms of His ever-increasing glory and we have been steadily transformed and renewed, but as God's people see this Banner, they are leaving behind all the idols, all the strongholds, all the confusion, all the earthly argument and competitions. They are rallying to the Banner and are Gathering and Assembling before Him.

All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it. Isaiah 18:3

All of the separation in heart, in mind, in body, in spirit between the people of God is disappearing as Jesus Christ is exalted among them all. God the Father grants the request of His Son: that they may be one as We are One--Complete Unity-- that the world would know that He has sent Me. He brings us to complete unity.

The people of God cry out day and night "How long oh Lord? How long?" He tells them to take heart and lift up their eyes, for He who promised unity to His people is faithful. As the eyes of the brethren turn to Him, everything will become clear and He will be glorified in and among them. They will no longer labor in vain and speak Words that they cannot comprehend. "Those who are wayward in Spirit will gain understanding. Those who complain will accept instruction". Surely it is not too hard for the Sovereign King to Unite His people. When our Ruler and Lord acts, He acts swiftly.

HE WILL ESTABLISH THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT THROUGH THE BOND OF PEACE. He surely is able to do it.

The Spirit's Word to the Churches (Revelations 2)
He says to us: "EXAMINE YOUSELVES"Pastor Dick's Revelations notes (borrowed from Mrs. Wiens) are with dad: what he prophecied from the Spirit's letters to the churches concerning the church will cause believers to weep and/or turn their eyes to Him.

What Pleases the Spirit:

deeds
hard-work
perseverance
intolerance of wicked men
testing of false apostles
endurance of hardships for His Name
not growing weary
hating the practices of the Nicoliatans (those whose practices He hates)
Spiritual wealth in the midst of poverty and affliction
remaining true to His Name
not renouncing our faith in Him even when we see the martyr of other believers
love
faith
service
doing more than we did at first

Repent and do the things we did at first
Do not be afraid of persecution
Be faithful to the point of death
hold onto what we have until He comes

The Spirit's Judgements:

Our lampstand removed from its place
He will fight against us with the Sword of His Mouth
bed of suffering
intense suffering
children struck dead

The Spirit's Promise to Those who Overcome:

The right to eat from the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God
The Crown of Life
We will not be hurt by the second death
hidden manna
white stone with a new name known only to God and the believer
authority over the nations to those who do His will to the end
the Morning Star: Jesus

He who holds the seven stars in His Hand, who walks among the seven lampstands, He who is the First and the Last, who died and came to Life again, He who has the sharp double-edged Sword: The Son of God. His eyes are like blazing fire, and His feet are burnished with bronze. HE WILL RULE THEM WITH AN IRON SCEPTOR AND DASH THEM TO PIECES LIKE POTTERY.

About Me

In the Scriptures the Shepherd’s eternal Covenant is a cutting out of His people from all that is devoted to destruction as they approach Him through His flesh and by His blood, a passing through of God’s presence among His people just as the smoking oven and flaming torch passed through the torn pieces of flesh that Abraham offered (Gen 15:12-16), the binding or marriage of two parties, that is, the reconciliation of Christ and His church, and the creation of a new kingdom and people, whose souls are perfected. We were dead in trespasses and sins, just as Abraham fell into a deep sleep and great terror and darkness came upon him, and God has established His Covenant by the strength of His own righteous arm (Eph 2:1, Gen 15:12).